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Actemra Has a Record of Heart Attacks, Strokes and Death

National Personal Injury Law Firm | Helping victims with their Actemra Lawsuit

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drug Actemra (tocilizumab) has been implicated in more than a thousand deaths. When introduced to the U.S. market in 2010, patients and doctors were never warned of the risks of heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, pancreatitis and lung disease by the drug maker.

Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche, failed to warn of potential serious side effects or the possibility of death. Since its approval in 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received thousands of complaints about the intravenous injection.

If you or someone you know has been affected by Actemra, Greg Jones Law is currently taking cases regarding serious side effects of this drug. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

Actemra is indicated for rheumatoid arthritis in adults, but may also be used to treat an artery problem known as giant cell arteritis (GCA) and other types of arthritis in the young, such as polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA) and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA).

Patients taking Actemra suffered very serious and sometimes deadly infections. Some people that were exposed to TB (tuberculosis) before, but never got the infection, developed TB after starting treatment with this medicine.

Unlike many other competing RA drugs, Actemra didn’t carry a warning label about cardiovascular and pulmonary complications. This has been confirmed by an investigative news report.

Greg Jones Law has sued many major drug manufacturers for failing to warn of the dangers of their drugs. To find out if you have a case against the makers of Actemra contact us today for a free case evaluation.

PREVIOUS DEATHS AND ILLNESS REPORTS

Before its release in the U.S., in 2009 Roche’s Japanese partner couldn’t deny the new rheumatoid arthritis treatment might be linked to 15 deaths and serious side effects, such as pneumonia, and severe fever more than 200 people in Japan.

A spokesman for Chugai Pharmaceutical, mostly owned by Roche, said in a newspaper article that the company “can’t deny” that there may have been “a causal relationship” between the drug and the deaths, but regarded the events as statistically similar to other RA treatments available in the market.

Compared to another RA medicine (Enbrel), Actemra has higher risk of heart attack, according to the American College of Rheumatology. The study published in 2016 found high risks of “major adverse cardiovascular event”.

Enbrel label, in the other hand, warns patients of the drug’s risks of aggravating heart disease, which Actemra didn’t.

SERIOUS RISKS AND SIDE EFFECTS

The biological anti RA drug works in a different way from other medicines, by blocking a protein in the body called IL-6, which has a role in inflammation.

Claims have been made in lawsuits about the serious risks of this drug, mainly:

Stroke

Myocardial infarction or heart attack

Pancreatitis

Lung disease

Heart failure

Pancreatic cancer

Infection

Gastrointestinal perforation

The most common side effects are:

Upper respiratory tract infections, including colds.

Sinus infections

Headaches

High blood pressure, which is a contributing factor for heart attacks and strokes.

The company now acknowledges that Actemra can affect the immune system and lower the patient’s ability to fight infections, as well as cause tears in the stomach and intestines.

HOW TO START AN ACTEMRA LAWSUIT

If you or someone you know have been harmed by Actemra, you should know that Greg Jones Law has experience and the necessary resources to sue major drug manufacturers for failing to warn of the dangers of their drugs.

Our firm works with attorneys across the country to represent people injured by these companies, helping victims get compensated for loss of income, medical treatment costs and the pain and suffering they have endured after taking dangerous medication.

Call us at 855-566-3752 or contact us online today to find out if you have a case against the makers of Actemra. We do not charge for initial consultations. If there is no recovery, you owe no legal fees. We’re here to help!

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